Pocket Object is a traveling show conceived and curated by artist Noël Morical. The show consists of pocket-sized keychain-themed work from over 150 artists nationwide, all priced $100 or less. The show has been to Kansas City, Chicago, LA, Seattle, Nashville and Philadelphia.

The Minneapolis edition will be here Friday, June 14th through Sunday, June 16th.

Saturday the 15th, 12-4PM, we will also host a special pop up in the shop featuring local artists who make one-of-a-kind apparel!

I create paintings that examine balance and unease at once: female nudes engage in ritualistic acts, cats and dogs live harmoniously, and wild animals appear tame and indoors. All creatures share the same stripes, spots, and gestures, but given these figures in their domestic context, harm is still a looming threat. I am self taught, and use paper, acrylic paint and pen as materials for physically exploring my thoughts and emotions, which are transformed into a visual narrative.

About Lauren:

(b. Santa Rosa, CA 1983) Lauren Roche is a self-taught artist living in Minneapolis, MN. Her aesthetic is often rooted in autobiography and grapples with the elusive territories of the imagination and memory. Roche's drawings and paintings feature female nudes in ritualistic acts, cats and dogs living harmoniously, and exotic horses -- all creatures share the same stripes, spots and gestures. An avid reader, Roche cites the magical realist novels of Murakami and Kathy Acker's punk poetry as influential to her practice. Roche was just awarded the Joan Mitchell Foundation's Painters and Sculptors Grant (2018) and was a recipient of the 2012-2013 Jerome Foundation Visual Arts Fellowship. Her work is represented by Bockley Gallery in Minneapolis, MN.

From Hannah Brown:

The images I create function as my tool for capturing the darkness and lightness in the human experience; as well as the fun, difficult, and unexplainable moments that nuance our lives. I am drawn to vivid contrast, which manifests in my practice and the themes that come forth in my work. My art is heavily influenced by narrative and emotion; addressing body image, sexuality, loneliness, and abundance.

I primarily draw using ballpoint pen on paper, a method I discovered when I was a teenager. In my drawing practice I am interested in images that are intimate and vulnerable, focusing on the nude form typically without reference. Working in this style is tedious and meditative, which allows me to invest in a level of detail that creates my own reality within the image.

I am a female identifying person living in Minneapolis, MN. I graduated from Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 2016, with a degree in Illustration. Currently I work out of my studio in the Powderhorn neighborhood.

Forage Modern Workshop is pleased to announce Looking For Something Bigger, an interactive installation by Minneapolis based artist Preston Drum. Drum’s interactive installations present a stage of distortion, using everyday objects to create a blurred version of reality. Using materials such as cardboard, wood, drawings, paintings, video, and re-purposed materials, Drum will transform Forage Modern Workshop into a make-shift studio, an environment inspired by relocating his current studio space.

Looking For Something Bigger testifies to the continued fascination of the artists' studio as a concept, psychological construct, social point or periphery, a site of identity, a site of performance and myth. It presents a pause in time of either factual or fictitious process of production, transforming the artists' studio from an enclosure to a realm of openness.

Preston Drum’s work has been exhibited at Jonathan Ferrara Gallery in New Orleans, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Walker Art Center, and The Soap Factory in Minneapolis. Looking For Something Bigger will run May 2nd - July 1st. The opening reception is Friday, May 4th, 6 - 9 pm.

From the artist

Though trained as a painter, I have in recent years developed an art practice centered on building interactive sculptural installations using cardboard, wood, and other repurposed materials. These installations which employ the use of soundscapes and video elements, are pseudo-stages where the viewer becomes a part of a performance. There is no script for these plays, the work is driven by a contract between artist and participant to mine our collective memory. Collaboration is essential for bringing new breath to the creative process and the relationship between artist and viewer is the ultimate collaboration. As an artist, my goal is not to dictate meaning but to provide material for the viewer to construct their own. This interaction provokes questions of how we define the author, the reader and the power dynamics between the two roles. We all love stories, but we must be mindful of the context in which the story is being told and heard.

Being a white man from the Southern United States, I am endowed with a guilt for the south’s history, to reconcile the transgressions of my ancestors, I go forward with an open heart and open mind. Seeking to empower the viewer and engage them in discourse about the things that unite us. As our society transitions into one dominated by abstractions through technology, fake news and escapism, it seems we are in dire need of visceral experiences and personal connections. This has pushed me away from the canvas in pursuit of a new way of storytelling that uses all our senses. My hope is that the viewer will use these installations as an opportunity to question their own presence in this world and through that questioning find a voice to tell their own stories.

About

Preston Drum, was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina. He earned a BFA from Memphis College of Art in 2006 and an MFA from Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 2016. Though his past work was focused on producing mixed media paintings, he has recently turned towards building interactive installations and moving image work that explore notions of memory and performance through non-linear storytelling. Drum’s installations and performances are often site-specific and collaborative in nature, framing the audience as a participant in the art. Drum’s work has been exhibited throughout the Midwest and Southern United States at venues such as Jonathan Ferrara Gallery, The Minneapolis Institute of Art and The Walker Art Center. He currently works as an educator and studio artist in Minneapolis.

We are THRILLED to introduce our latest featured artist, Dietrich Sieling. We will be hosting an opening reception September 9th from 2p-6p and would love for you to join us.

ABOUT THE ARTISTDietrich Sieling lives in Minneapolis and is a full-time artist. He was born in 1988 and diagnosed with autism when he was three.

Inspirations for Dietrich's work include calligraphy, a fascination with animals both scary and beloved - dogs and owls were (and are) terrifying, while kudus, zebras, and giraffes are beloved. Friends, family and self are also important subjects - drawn with special attention. Also providing great inspiration are fellow artists and musicians Jim Denomie, Angelena and Korla Luckeroth, Michael Gaughan (Brother and Sister, Ice Rod) Markus Lunkenheimer (Skoal Kodiac) Andy Fritz, (Tender Meat) and Melodious Owl.

His aspirations include buying the old New French Cafe building, installing a spraying hose, and painting the floors with zebra and giraffe patterns.

You can follow along with photos of his work and other featured artists at #fmwfeaturedartist

Casey Deming is a Minneapolis-based artist with a focus on printmaking, design, and sound art. Prints available at the show are hand-printed and collage-based.

Casey Deming is a Minneapolis-based artist with a focus on printmaking, design, and sound art. He has curated the Tuesday Series for Improvised Music since 2008. Casey’s visual art has been exhibited at the MN Center for Book Arts, Madame of the Arts, Art of This, Honeycomb Salon, Chicago Artists Coalition, Modern Times Cafe, and The White Page Gallery. He was a featured musician and curator at The Soap Factory’s 2013 Minnesota Biennial. In the winter of 2015 Casey received the Jerome Foundation’s 416 Commission through the Cedar Cultural Center. He will be a featured artist at an upcoming collage-based exhibition of prints at Lula Cafe in Chicago.